Meaning

Primary

To Well Up

Alternatives

To Gush Out, To Arise

Word Type

intransitive verb, godan verb

Explanation

The kanji itself means well up, and this is also to well up or to gush out.

Remember us talking about courage welling up in the kanji mnemonic? This word can also be used for that kind of figurative welling up, like of emotions, which is where the meaning to arise comes from.

Reading

わく
  • Kyoko
    (Tokyo accent, female)
  • Kenichi
    (Tokyo accent, male)

Explanation

Since this word consists of a kanji with hiragana attached, you can bet that it will use the kun'yomi reading. You didn't learn that reading with this kanji, so here's a mnemonic to help you:

You're fishing in a hole in the ice when suddenly the water starts to well up and to gush out of it. A huge walrus () splashes out and jumps on you. No wonder there weren't any fish! This is a walrus hole.

Context

Patterns of Use

Common Word Combinations

  • 疑問が湧く

    questions spring up

    イメージが湧く

    to get an impression of something

    興味が湧く

    to get interested in something

    実感が湧く

    something feels real, to fully realize something

    水が湧く

    water wells up

Context Sentences

へー、この辺って水が湧くんだね。

Oh, so there's spring water around here.

ようやく実感が湧いてきました。

It's finally starting to feel real.

急にパッとイメージが湧くこともあれば、中々いい案が思いつかないこともあります。

Sometimes a good idea will suddenly come to mind, while at other times it can be difficult to think of one.

悔し涙が湧きました。

Tears of bitter frustration welled up.

Kanji Composition